CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS - Magi

Lets take a look at these wise men who are mentioned in Matthew's edition of the life of Jesus. Only Matthew and Luke give us historical details about the birth of Christ. Matthew chooses to tell us about these strange visitors from the east, Luke chooses to leave that out but instead tell us about shepherds in fields nearby watching their sheep. One of the hints, by the way, that Jesus was not born on December 25th.

We know these men were astrologers of some kind and that Matthew refers to them as Magi. Now, hundreds of years before, there was a nation which grew into a short lived, but large, empire called the Medes. This empire stretched from the Indus River valley in the east (Pakistan today), to Anatolia in the west (Turkey today). This empire was made of of six tribes, one of which was called the tribe of Magi.

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This tribe was a priestly tribe in the same way that the tribe of Levi was to the Jews or that Druids would were to the Celts. They were very educated having spent a lot of time learning about the natural world, including medicines, herbs and the movements of the cosmos, and how they might foretell impending events on earth. These men were soothsayers, interpreters of dreams, philosophers, naturalists and would have been highly regarded members of society.

Astrology, one of their specialties, was a widely known and used approach to telling ones future. Reading the cosmos was a science to these men. We do not know what brilliant star the Magi saw but whatever it was the message interpreted was compelling.

And of course, as everyone in the ancient world knows, the best astrologers came from the east. If you were going to have some one read the stars for you, you wanted an astrologer from the east, because those westerners don't know what they are talking about.

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This message impelled them to journey hundreds of miles across varied terrain for what what likely several months into the territory of a neighboring empire (which was hardly ever neighborly). They carried supplies for the journey, they carried money so they could resupply along the way, they had animals to carry the supplies and money, they had extra men to help them keep track of all the supplies and the animals carrying the supplies. And of course with all the animals and supplies and men to help with everything they would have drawn some attention to themselves so they would likely have had some armed security to help to protect them on their journey as well as money and supplies for those men too. Not to mention the expensive gifts that were being brought to honor this new born king.

We don't know exactly were they left from but if we were to place them in the center of the region where the Median empire was, that would put them in the middle of modern day Iran just south of the southern tip of the Caspian Sea. IF they left from there (modern day Tehran) and followed the trade routes, their journey was likely around 2,000 miles. That is a long distance to travel to honor someone who is not one of your own people and will not be your king. If you estimate the amount of time it would take to make that journey you could say that the Magi likely saw the star in the east around the same time that the angel appeared to Jesus' parents.

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Keeping all this in mind, I wonder... Why? 

Why the long journey? 

Why Magi? 

Why not wise men from the country Jesus was born in? 

Why not wise men from the Jews?

What is God telling the world by making this announcement to men who don't believe in the Jewish God?

Why not someone that others would believe?

This says something about the way God does things. We can ask why God did not announce to the the Jewish people the arrival of their Messiah; except, he had been speaking to them through the prophets for hundreds of years in the Hebrew Scriptures. In fact when the Eastern wise men arrived and asked where to find this king, the Jewish wise men knew exactly where to look, Bethlehem. 

The Magi traveled upwards of 2,000 miles to meet this newborn King, the Jewish scholars would not travel the six miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to even see if it was true. 

Herod was so concerned that this newborn King might take over his rulership and his Kingdom that he ordered all baby boys in and around Bethlehem slaughtered. He did not understand the kind of King that Jesus would be or the kind of Kingdom that he would establish.

I guess what I am saying is that according to Matthew's edition of the the birth of Christ, the wrong kinds of people are hearing about Jesus. What is worse they are taking action. The ones who have the Bible memorized and can quote all kinds of verses to you, they end up being the ones who miss the whole point. Matthew is telling us that God chooses the most unlikely people, the people that most others would overlook. God chooses the J.V. kinds of people, the second stringers, the ones who get ruled out, the ones who sit by themselves at lunch, even those who like country music. God did not announce his arrival to the Roman leaders or the Jewish leaders, but to astrologers who did not even believe in the Jewish God.

What does that say about who should be in your church?

What does that say about how God speaks to us?

What do you think that says about what God things about you?

The God of this story invites people no one else invites... He wants the people most of us don't even consider... this God says that even you are invited into His story... You don't have to have it all figured out to have a spot at His table...

This God invites you with all your questions, and your doubts, and your bad theology, and your bad taste in music (if you like country)...

Just a Meandering Thought...

RAMP

Have you ever heard the saying, life is not fair? Sure, we all have. "The Vagabond Road" is a video of some thoughts and reflections on the idea that life does not always offer us an exit ramp when we need one. What do we do when we find ourselves in places we never expected to end up? What do we do when the road we are on leads us some place we never intended on going.

I will let the video speak for itself but after watching it share your thoughts with me as I would like to do this sort of thing more but would like to do it in such a way that you will want to watch them.

OCCUPIED

So I walked around Boston today getting some footage for a video project I am working on.  Part of my afternoon was spent walking along the Greenway which curves around the length of where the rt93 tunnel. I saw a large group at the end of the greenway, I decided to check it out. Turns out it was forty or fifty tents and a couple hundred people all part of Occupy Boston. The Occupy America movement is a fascinating sociological event with a branch in our backyard. People (mostly students) staying in tents, with signs for various political, socioeconomic and other issues, and regardless of Republican or Democrat everyone seemed to be getting along. I took in a group meeting to discuss the greatness of Marxist philosophy, there was a veterans for peace tent, I saw a tent where clothing was being given away, they even have a library. Folk music was being played for everyone's enjoyment and it was actually pretty good.

As I walked through the encampment I got the sense that this was a place for the free exchange of ideas and life philosophy (well, I did not see any representatives from corporate America there). I am pretty sure that there was even a small group freely sharing some ganja; they seemed really happy.

This gathering of people in Dewey Square and the hundreds of people who show up for the scheduled General Assemblies tells me a few things about people in general and Boston in particular. First, there is an undercurrent in Boston (and probably every city in America for that matter) of discontentment with "the system". The system is the conglomeration of impersonal regulations, guidelines, parameters, etc. that seem to be arbitrarily superimposed on society and dictate how a person should live their life and spend their money if they are going to be successful. Discontentment has spurred Americans on to technological innovation for generations, it has spurred community organizers on to bring change to their neighborhoods, it has even spurred corporate executives to make shady deals behind closed doors. People from all walks of life experience some degree of discontentment. We all wrestle with a lack of contentment at some point. Discontentment must simmer for a while before it motivates us to try and bring change to something. What is your simmering discontentment?

The second is that people are desperate to be heard, young and old. Everyone has an opinion, but a cause like "Occupy America" gives people a chance to put a megaphone to their ideals and opinions and be heard much more so than if they stood alone. The need to be heard is what many people from North African nations are fighting for right now. When you are heard you are validated; your station in life has legitimacy. All people long for validation, they long to be heard. People want to be heard. Who listens to you??

Third, I discovered that not everyone there was there for the stated purposes of the movement. Some where there because their friends were there and they wanted to support their friends. Some were there because it is where the attention is and they simply want to be a part; they want to belong. Everyone wants to be part of something big, a cause to fight for. It gives us a sense of identity. In some places in the world the cause is your family; you stand for your family and they give you identity. Here in America it is often your ideals. Your ideals give you something to fight for and give you an identity. When you don't have either of these you long for them, you look for them in anything. Many a high school student and college student has gone through this "looking to belong" stage. From what do you derive your sense of identity??? Is it enough? Are you fulfilled?

In some ways these are the longings of every person who has ever drawn breath on planet earth; they make us human. Being discontent, the desire to be heard, and our sense of identity will shape us and define us. We will be healthy people depending on what our source is for these three aspects of our soul. You may be looking for money, or love. You may be motivated by greed or loneliness. The longings of your soul says something about who you are. How you fulfill those longings says something about who you are willing to be and who you are becoming.

Just a Meandering Thought...

NEXT

Since April, much of my writing has been devoted to India, the people, the culture, the history, the religion, and how all these facets fit together and affect everyday life for the people, even how it affected me while there this summer. For the next few months I am going to spend some time writing and reflecting on those same topics but from an American perspective, Boston in particular. The are certainly some things that are unique to India but there is at least one common thread between the two... people.

I am structuring a class around the impact of modern media on the social consciousness of Americans in general but the people of Boston in particular. I mention this to ask for a favor of you who read my "Meandering Thoughts". I would really like some feedback from you over the next few months, until the end of December, the good the bad and the ugly. If you agree with what I am writing tell me; if you disagree, tell me. If you think I am being a narrow minded, self centered, egotistical, ethnocentric, piously tunnel visioned, whatever... tell me.

My hope is that in the coming months, my reflections and musings on culture, religion, the arts, and personal devotion to a life cause will strike a cord with you somewhere deep in your soul. Besides, the more people I can get "talking" about the things I am thinking about, the better it will look to my supervising professor.

I need to be thought provoking and personally challenging so I will keep the posts short and to the point. I  am looking to touch on the experiences of life that are most common and perhaps bring some refreshing perspective. We shall see.

Ultimately I am looking for the intersection of everyday life, art (in various forms), and the deepest longings of the soul. How does one express the other, where do they overlap and how do we become more complete and globally compassionate people as result. That may be a bit lofty but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for coming along for the ride...

 

LAST

So this will be my last official post on India even though the memories and the impact continue to rattle my soul. Here are a few closing thoughts on my time in India:

There were some things that I knew about before going to this diverse and complex country. These things included:

• Huge population and population density
• Major issues with poverty
• Very religious people who take pride in their religion
•  The Ganges river is very important to their religious practices and beliefs.

There were somethings I thought I knew and understood about the Indian people and their culture that turned out to only be partially true. 

• They like Americans but hate American culture
• Cricket is the big game in India not soccer (football)
• People who are "outcastes"were not considered Hindu's until recently 
• Christianity is a minority religion of about 2.8% of the population. It recently surpassed Islam which is about 2.4%

There were somethings that I was totally wrong about and really had no clue about:

• Despite being being mostly polytheists and very open and accepting of gods, they really do not like Christianity and Islam. They do like Jesus and Muhammad.
• Many people think of the Indian people as being warm and welcoming to everybody, but they do not want westerners influencing or changing their culture and traditions. Some will fight over it.
• There is garbage everywhere because Hindu's believe that everything (including garbage) is Brahman (supreme spiritual entity). So it means nothing to throw Brahman out the window on to Brahman.
• The beliefs of the Hindus are strongly influenced by their mythology. If you know their mythology you will better understand their customes and beliefs.



Here I am standing on the grounds of Indira Ghandi's grave. This was in a park dedicated to the Ghandi family. Mahatmah Ghandi's grave is located off to my right. This was the last place I stopped before heading to the airport to fly home.



BRICKS

So I went to a pretty remote village. Most of the structures there were straw and/or mud; there were a few that were brick. This again was a village of people who are considered to be outside of the caste system, or Dalits, also known as "untouchables". There were just a couple of structures that had electricity. The government provides bricks to these people to help them build homes that will last through the monsoon season. It is part of the the government's initiative to help these people.

A partially used stack of bricks sits in a vacant area of the village waiting to be used up by the people there building homes.

According to Orthodox Hinduism. These people are not considered Hindu's because they are outside of the caste system. They are below the lowest caste. They cannot participate in any temple worship, or make any offerings to any gods, or even go into a Hindu Temple. Christianity comes along teaching things like '...there is neither slave nor free, Jew nor Gentile...' etc... and it appeals to people like the Dalits who have nothing and live at such a low station in life.

This one room building is the village church. There are bricks on the ground just to the left of the door; these bricks will be used to build a small room on the side for the children.

In this village of about 300 people there is a small temple or shrine made of mud. Inside is the village deity. This is how just about all rural villages in India are; each one has its own shrine to its own deified spirit in addition to the more well known gods like Shiva. Christianity came to the village just a few years ago for the first time, and the people seemed to gravitate towards the teachings of the Bible, and the person of Jesus. When it came time to build a structure as a place for the Christians to gather, they decided to build it with bricks. It was a statement, Jesus is here to stay.

Two children are playing with the dishes we ate off of for lunch. Though it does look like they are arguing right??...

It is an interesting phenomena is the Indian ID card. On the ID card is place where you delcare what religion you are. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim or even Sikh, even though that is a sect of Hinduism. The Dalits, as Hindus, get government grants for many things. They can go to school on the government dime, they receive bricks to build homes, they often simply get checks from the Indian government so they can live (India's version of Social Security.) They do what they can to keep people Hindu in order to preserve their ancient heritage and culture.

I am standing outside one of the straw homes in the village. Inside was a sick elderly couple and their grandson. He was taking a break from the mid day heat before going back into the fields to work.

That is of course, as long as the ID card says Hindu, (or Sikh or Buddhist, since Buddhism started in India). If a Dalit becomes either a Christian or a Muslim, he or she is no longer considered outside the caste system and is therefore no longer eligible for government support. So a Dalit actually gives up a lot to walk away from Hinduism. Once a Dalit becomes a Christian he or she is dependent on the Church community for help in times of trouble because most Hindu's refuse to help non-Hindu's.

Children outside their home on beds.

Now in this village there are 20 baptized believers and several others who attend but are not baptized, out of 300 people. The pastor here earns at most the equivalent of $80 per month. He has no formal education, but he loves the people here and that is why the people here will listen to him.

• The village still gets bricks delivered, for now.
• The people survive.
• They somehow get by at way below the poverty line... the Indian poverty line.
• Their farming does not pay well; it is barely enough to live on.
• Yet I have not seen as many smiles on faces in Indians as I did that day in that church.
• It makes me wonder what Jesus gives these people that they don't get somewhere else.
• Is it real or just a perception?

ASHRAMS

As part of my tour of Rishikesh, I was able to go into a few Hindu Monasteries. Hindu Monasteries are called Ashrams.

The first two of four main teachings that are most common in the early forms of Hinduism. This is a pillar in the center courtyard of one of the larger Ashrams in Rishikesh.

I was fortunate to have, as my guide, a former Hindu Sadhi or Guru in training. The short version of the story as to why he is no longer a Sadhi, is that while in a transcendental meditative state (this guy practiced T.M.) he had a vision of Jesus calling to him from outside the Ashram. He told his guru about it and his guru got so mad that he kicked him out of the Ashram. With nowhere else to go he decided to look for someone who could tell him about who this man was in his vision. He met an old retired pastor who talked with him about the vision and he found out who Jesus was, so he decided that since Jesus appeared to him in a vision he should follow Jesus instead of the Hindu gods.

This is a small temple to Shiva within a small Ashram by the shore. The Temple opens to the east because that is where the sun rises (so I have been told). Orange is the color of the sky when the sun rises, orange is the color of the flowers offered to Shiva and others, Orange is the color the pilgrims where when they travel to Mata Gunga to cleanse themselves through physical ritual from what has happened to their soul.

Yeah… so this guy, Rakesh is his name, he was my guide. He knows Sanskrit so when he greets monks in Ashrams he greets them in their holy language and they welcome him into these places. And when they ask him his name he will tell them the name he received when he entered the Ashram. When a man becomes a Sadhi, he starts a new life, he becomes a new person (figuratively speaking) therefore, his name changes. When Rakesh gives his Sadhi name, he is welcomed with open arms. And with him as my guide it was quite the experience troding the crowded walkways of Rishikesh.

Pilgrims come to make offerings of various kinds before the statue of Shiva stationed on a platform away from the bank of the Ganges. He watches over the millions of pilgrims who will come in the month of July to the Ganges.

Some of the Ashrams are run by very well known gurus and are very well kept and very clean. These gurus may run several Ashrams all over India. Some are very small and not to well kept. They are usually run by less well known gurus who only live and work in the one location. There was a big controversy here recently because of the exposed corruption of one particular guru, guru Baba.

Hanuman, the monkey god is opening his chest to show Sita and Lord Rama within. They are not in this particular statue but there is a mythological story behind it. This statue is like thirty feet tall, and just inside the gate of another Ashram.

This guy owns an operates something like 20 Ashrams and has several fancy homes and dozens of cars. But as a “holy” man he is supposed to be dedicated to reading the holy scriptures and to poverty. Looks like corruption is not an exclusive condition of religious institutions in the United States.

RISHIKESH

Rishikesh is a holy area along the Ganges River several miles from Hari Dwar. It became famous in the West after the Beetles went there in (‘67?). They met with a guru and stayed in one of the Ashrams here by the river.

A couple make an offering to the River goddess Gunga. They put flowers purchased at a shop owned by one of the Ashrams place them in the jar of water scooped out of the river, then pour both back to the river.

An Ashram is a Hindu Monastery. The place the Beetles visited is no longer in existence, well… it is there but it is a hotel now. When that Guru died people stopped coming to that Ashram and it fell into disrepair until it was purchased by the hotel.

This is a Temple inside an Ashram near the river bank.

If you want to visit an Ashram there is certainly no shortages of them in Rishikesh. Rishikesh has one of the highest concentrations of Ashrams in India. Almost every building here is in some way part of an Ashram or is owned by an Ashram. Some have sprawling complexes where entire families will live, they are not just for meditative monks.

Men and idols under a Bodhi tree, the same tree under which Siddhartha was sitting when he attained enlightenment and became Buddha.

There are also many places in Rishikesh that teach how to read Sanskrit, the holy language for Hindus. All of Hinduism's holy scriptures are written in Sanskrit. It is a dead language but the holy men of Hinduism only read the scriptures in Sanskrit.

A guru reading the Sanskrit scriptures who whoever will sit for a while and listen.

There are many places where I saw very old men sitting by the Ganges and reading the Vedas or the Gitas in what looked like very old books. These men are thought of as very holy men. The two holy locations in the area are Hari Dwar, which I have already written on, and Rishikesh. These two places each have their specialty. Hari Dwar is holy because of the mythological stories about its origin. It is the place where you go to perform holy rituals.

Rishikesh may be the place where people go for Hindu learning, but since it is on the River, thousands of people will come here to wash their sins away in the river.

The area in and around Rishikesh is where the ancient Brahmin priests would go to get away from the world to meditate for long periods of time. It was during the middle of the first millennium b.c. roughly when the Upanishads were written. Today Rishikesh is a center of learning and study and gaining holy knowledge. Hari Dwar is the place do holy rituals, Rishikesh is the place you go to gain holy knowledge. Hence all the Ashrams where you sit under guru and learn the holy scriptures, and all the places where you can learn Sanskrit.

One of the most prominent features of Rishikesh is the huge suspension bridge that spans the entire breadth of the Ganges river. Whenever you see pictures of Rishikesh you will see pictures of the bridge. This bridge is about the width of your average sidewalk. Yet you will have four of five or ten people trying to walk in the same space, and believe it or not while walking across the bridge myself, a motorcycle went right past me.

The entire month of July is the pilgrimage month and the holy pilgrimage color is orange. It has something to do with the color of the sunset and how the color symbolizes the going down into the river and then coming up as a newly washed person. Just as the color of the sky when the sun is setting and rising. So many people were bathing it was extremely crowded. A lot of people have a lot that they need to cleanse in the their soul. I am not sure they find what they are looking for though. The Hindu scriptures say nothing of absolution. Each of these people will come back and do the same thing next year with no sense of certainty that they are getting what they came here for.

WASHED

As we walked along the bridge that crossed the Ganges river we were able to see the full breadth of activity that surrounds the Ganges myths. People will travel thousands of miles for the chance to dip in the Ganges at this specific place on the river. This river is holy to them; not just because it has the cleansing effect of their souls, but because the river is an actual goddess. When they step into the river they are immersing themselves in the goddess Gunga. They wash themselves with the goddess Gunga who takes their sins, also called bad Karma, with her down the river.

A man begging on the side of the road on our way to the river

Much of the Hindu beliefs and traditions center around the role that the Ganges plays. As I watched I tried to get my mind around the fact that people have been coming to this river to wash away their sins for centuries even millennia. I wondered to myself:

• What are these people thinking as they step into the river?
• What are they thinking as they throw water over their shoulders?
• As they strip down to their underwear and wade into the cold mountain waters do they think about what it feels like to be completely surrounded by a deity?
• Do they genuinely believe that this river is a goddess or do they wash simply wash out of tradition?

The poor and homeless walk side by side with those who are well off. Both equally need to wash in the River.

There was a man there who had set up a tarp tied to a tree. This is where he would live during the pilgrimage season. Typically he is naked but at the time we were walking by he had a towel wrapped around him. He is thought of a more holy because he walks around naked and goes into the river naked. He sets up a make shift home next to a goddess, so that he can be close to her, and wades into her naked so that he can be closer to her than anyone else. For this, he is holy.

• I wonder what people are searching for.
• I wonder if they find it.
• I wonder when they lay their heads on their pillow or their mat at night if what they think to themselves.
• Are they grateful for the chance to step into the river… the goddess?
• Are they grateful and fulfilled for having their sins washed away?

In Christianity people are forgiven of sin by God. For the Hindu the goddess does not forgive sins she simply washes them away. It speaks to the relational nature of Christianity and the pantheistic and ritualistic nature of Hinduism. An unfortunate aspect of the lure of the Ganges is that the Ganges is also a good place for to make money. Not only are there a lot of beggars hoping to capitalize on people's generosity while they are in a religious mood, but there are countless venders selling items from containers to bring home the mystical waters of the Ganges the people selling henna tattoos.

These stores and shops are just a few of the hundreds of shops and vendors that can be seen along the river. So simply put out a blanket and lay out holy trinkets.

There are those who are simply there to make some money off those who are aware of their need to do good and take advantage of the giving mood that many are in as they go through their rituals. Ironically, a place that is set aside for religious devotion, is also a place that many as a time to make a buck, (or a rupee). And when they see white people they see dollar signs.

When you see women using their children as a means to tug on the hearts strings of visitors to compel them to give them some money it is difficult to understand the feelings that well up. Is it sadness or anger? Unfortunately, many times the money you give them does not actually go to them. Often they are part of a ring of people who are forced to do this by one a few others.

As I think about how sad it is, I am forced to acknowledge that churches or perhaps more accurately, Christian religious leaders in the U.S. do the same thing. The only reason it does not seem as sad is because the people they prey on are not trying to get their next meal. Some of the great works of serving the poorest of the poor have been done by devotees of religion, I think of Mother Theresa as one example. But some of the worst atrocities have also been done in the name of religion, the example everyone knows is the Crusades, but historically the Muslims were every bit as barbaric as the Christians. Definitely not a high point for either religion, or its leaders.

I was also struck at the dichotomy that I observed here. In one place set back from the river there were a couple of really nice hotels, and about a twenty minute drive from the river there were several really nice hotels. These hotels exist for the rich to come in from all over the world to wash in the Ganges, and then leave once they are “clean”. But to get to the Ganges they have to pass by the thousands who are stuck in dwellings that are nothing more than sheets of plastic that barely keep out the rain.

I thought that the Ganges was a place where people would go to have some kind of profound personal religious experience, but what I saw was a lot of families who had come to make a day out of coming to the Ganges. It was a family affair for many. Others were there to make some money. Still others were there out of tradition. But for whatever the reason, everyone was there to get something from the river. Everyone there had some kind of need that they expected the river could meet. For one a clean soul, for another, the people who would have money which could meet their physical needs.

DWAR

The place we visited along the Ganges river is called Hari Dwar. It is close to Rishikesh, made famous by the Beetles when they came to meet with a guru here. The word “hari” means god and the word “dwar” means gate or door. So the place that we went to see the Ganges river is referred to as the door to god or the gateway to the gods. The gods are believed to reside in the mountains which are about a two hour drive to the Northeast. There are many myths and stories surrounding the gateway to the gods. It is the reason why this place will see millions of people during the pilgrimage season. One of the more well known stories behind Hari Dwar goes like this:

There was a battle between the gods and the demons over a substance call "Amrit". "Mrit" in Sanskrit means "life", and Amrit, is anti life. The "a" has the same effect in Sanskrit as it does in Greek, they are from the same base language that scholars called Proto-Indo-European (P.I.E.). It is a theoretical base pre-historic language for where scholars believe Greek, Sanskrit even Latin came from. I digress...

So the demons and the gods were fighting over a substance called Amrit. Amrit is a powerful milky substance which holds the power of life and death. (Note the motherly, life giving connotation). Whoever controlled this milky substance would control all of life. Fiercely, both sides fought for control of the Amrit. At some point the gods gave the demons what they were led to believe was Amrit, but was actually a divine form of liquor and the gods took control of the Amrit. As the gods escaped a brief scuffle ensued and the container of Amrit tipped and was about to fall to the earth where it would not be able to be recovered. Instinctively, without thinking, Shiva jumped underneath the spilling Amrit and caught it in his mouth to prevent it from being lost to earth. As a result Shiva began to choke. He could not swallow it because if he ingested the Amrit its power would overwhelm him and he would die. (Yes, I know it is ironic, but apparently the essence of life is pretty potent stuff).

To the right is a painting portraying Shiva in his pursuit of his wife Parvati. Note, this painting would have have taken place before the this fight with the demons so he is not a blueish color.

In order to save Shiva’s life, his wife, the goddess Parvati, choked him to prevent him from swallowing the Amrit. This is why in most of the pictures or paintings you see of Shiva he is a bluish color. As the gods, including Shiva, were escaping with the Mithra, Shiva was coughing up some of the Amrit, and seven drops (or ten depending on which version of the story you are hearing) fell from his mouth to the earth. These drops landed along the Ganges river and became the holy sites were people go to bath and perform their ritual washing. Going to the places where the essence of life fell from Shiva’s mouth makes the spiritual cleansing people are seeking a deeper and more thorough cleansing and that their new life will be a step up in the reincarnation process.

Hari Dwar is the first of these holy places along the Ganges river. It is were the Ganges, which flows out of the Himalayan foothills, hits the plains and goes from a narrow rushing stream to a wide, slow moving river. So the place where the river opens up; the place where a drop of Amrit, the essence of life, fell from Shiva’s mouth to earth, the last place you can stop on the Ganges before entering the region dominated by the worship of Shiva, is called Hari Dwar, the gateway of god, or door of the gods.

Hari Dwar is also one of four sites in particular where Hindu's visit once every twelve years for the festival of Kumbh Mela. It is a celestial festival based on the alignment of Jupiter with other constellations.

GUNGA

On Saturday July 8th we went to the Ganges River...

I try to organize my thoughts enough to write about it but there are so many things that flood my mind it becomes difficult to articulate and reflect on the experience. So will write a short series on the Ganges to help you to understand and me to process the importance of this river to the Indian people, in particular the Hindu's. I suppose the best place to start is the beginning…

In the picture to the right Gunga is descending onto Shiva's head from the realm of the gods to the high forests which is the region of the Himalayan foothills, you can tell by the pine trees.

There are many myths surrounding the source of the Ganges (Gunga). There are three or four main stories and many less known localized versions of these stories. One such story that is told in the south goes like this:

In pictures of the goddess Gunga you will often see her in the middle of the river, which she embodies, and the Himalayan mountains in the background, which is where the river comes from.

The goddess Gunga wanted to bring water to the people. But Shiva told her that if she were to fall to the earth she would destroy humanity. (Shiva is one of the main gods of Hinduism and he is most worshiped in the region where I am now, near the Himalayas, the source of the Ganges river). Shiva suggested that she fall on his head instead of falling directly to the earth. This is why you will sometimes hear that Gunga, or the Ganges, flows from Shiva’s head. And for the sake of humanity this is what she did.

In the picture to the right you see the goddess Gunga imbedded in Shiva's hair, this is considered the source of the Ganges river.

In pictures of Shiva you will see a spring of some kind flowing from the top of his head and in some cases you will see the goddess Gunga imbedded in his hair. It is believed that she lives in that high place. There is a very close connection between Gunga and Shiva, since she flows out of his head so, often they are pictured together.

The source of the Ganges is a high place - Shiva’s hair, and it is also a high place - the Himalayas.

That is one of the myths about the origin of the Ganges, one of possibly hundreds. I have imbedded links to a few others where the word Gunga appears.